ASPO Abstracts
Association of cervical cancer incidence with screening rates and healthcare access in the US counties
Category: Cancer Health Disparities
Conference Year: 2023
Abstract Body:
Purpose: In the United States (US), cervical cancer screening rates remain suboptimal and substantial geographic differences with large variation in screening rates according to the county of residence has been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate county-level cervical cancer incidence patterns among US women in association with county-level screening rates and access to primary care. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional ecological analysis of 149 continental US counties (2018-2019) from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 22 data to obtain age-standardized cervical cancer incidence rates per 100,000 persons. County-level healthcare access (primary care physician supply per 100,000 residents) data and age-adjusted screening rates (resident females aged 21-65 years without a history of hysterectomy who reported receiving cervical cancer screening test) were obtained from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Population Level Analysis and Community Estimates (PLACES) data respectively. Analysis was conducted using SEER*Stat and SAS Statistical Analysis 9.4 software. Results: Large variation in cervical cancer incidence was observed with incidence ranging from 17.4 per 100,000 (Wichita, TX) to 3.5 per 100,000 (Utah, UT). Cervical cancer incidence was negatively correlated (r = -0.26, p = 0.001, 95% CI, -0.41 to -0.11) with cervical cancer screening rate. Additionally, a statistically significant negative correlation (r = -0.33, p < 0.001, 95% CI, -0.46 to -0.18) was also observed between the cervical cancer incidence and primary care physician availability. Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest an association between cervical cancer incidence and cervical cancer screening rates and primary care physician supply. Our findings indicate that improving the availability of primary healthcare physicians and cervical cancer screening among women could help in the reduction of cervical cancer.
Keywords: cervical cancer, screening, primary care physician